Turkish footballers face “disrespectful” treatment at Iceland airport

Turkish footballers face “disrespectful” treatment at Iceland airport
Date: 10.6.2019 13:00

Turkey's national football team on Sunday was kept waiting for hours at Iceland’s main airport before the team's captain was approached by a man who held a toilet brush to his face as a makeshift microphone, reported Turkish state broadcaster TRT.

email Print zoom+ zoom-
The team landed at Keflavik Airport, the main hub for the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, on Sunday evening for a Euro 2020 qualifying match against the Icelandic national team to be played on Tuesday night.
 
The team was then held by Icelandic authorities for some three hours as their luggage was searched, according to TRT. The players said airport officials gave no reason for the delay.
 
"What they have done is disrespectful and rude. We have been waiting here for three hours. They took everyone's bags and even everyone's cosmetics. They searched it again and again. We flew for 6.5 hours and we've waited for three hours," said team vice captain Burak Yılmaz.
 
Middle East Eye reporter Ragıp Soylu described the toilet brush incident against team captain Emre Belözoğlu as racist.
 
"Once the team is in, a supposedly Iceland citizen, who poses like a journalist, pointed a toilet brush to a prominent player like it is mic. Racist,” he said on Twitter.
 
On Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu denounced Iceland's treatment of the Turkish team.
 
"The treatment our national team was subjected to at Iceland's airport is unacceptable, both in terms of humanity and diplomatic practices. Let there be no doubt that we will do what is necessary," Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter.
 
Turkey's ruling AKP spokesman Ömer Çelik said on Twitter that Iceland's authorities must apologise for "this primitive treatment."
 
Icelandic officials and UEFA have yet to comment.
 
Turkish authorities on Monday issued a diplomatic note to Iceland condemning the country's maltreatment of its national football team players, state-run Anadolu Agency said. 
 

YEREL HABERLER

Milli Gazete Puplication Group All Rights Reserved © 2000-2016 - Can not be published without permission ! Tel : +90 212 697 1000  /  Fax : +90 212 697 1000 Software Development and System Support: Milli Gazete